Beverages and other food items are very frequently sold and stored in metal or aluminum cylindrical cans. These cans are frequently stored for what can be a lengthy period of time prior to sale. They are often transported for sale in locations far removed from their manufacturing or canning site, and they regularly sit on shelves, on loading docks, in machines and in other places prior to their actual sale to a consumer. During these periods of storage and transportation, the cans are susceptible to becoming dirty or contaminated, especially in and around the areas where, for example on a beverage can, a purchaser may place his or her mouth when consuming the contents of the can. In many instances, the liquid contents of the aluminum or metal cans accumulates in the ridges on the top of the cans and dries to a sticky, adhesive-type mass that is not easily removed. Not only may such dirt or other contaminants be transferred to consumers when their lips touch the can directly, but they may also be transferred when the contents of the can are poured or otherwise emptied into another container for consumption.
Simple wiping of the lids or upper portions of such cans does not always effectively clean these portions of the cans due to the irregular surfaces of beverage cans and the like. Beverage cans, for example, have a protruding element on the top that enables a purchaser to "pop" the top open for consumption of the contents. Further, the top of the can is commonly designed with a protruding rim and adjoining groove that makes cleaning with a simple cloth difficult. No device has previously been disclosed that allows a purchaser to effectively clean the upper portion of such cans with a device that both cleans and sanitizes the can portion, is disposable and, therefore, safe from a health standpoint, and is made from environmentally safe biodegradable, recyclable materials.
A number of simple structures directed to this general problem have previously been proposed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,423 to Blatt discloses a pop top can brush that may be used to clean cans having a cleaning gutter and a plurality of outer and inner brushes depending downwardly from a planar arcuate upper member. U.S. Pat. No. 4,763,380 to Sandwick discloses a cleaning device formed from a circular disk having symmetrical openings and a plurality of bristles extending downwardly from the top surface of the device. To use the device, it is placed on the top of the can and water is allowed to run through the openings while the device is rotated back and forth with the bristles engaging the can. U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,091 to Glasener discloses a can cleaning device with a cylindrical base and a tapered side wall, all made of a plastic-like material, and having a cleaning material affixed to the inside face of the base and bristles concentrically arranged. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,031,264 to Muster discloses a cleaning system that includes a pre-moistened pad that is sealed in a packet mounted to the underside of a self-opening can pull tab that, once exposed or completely removed, can be used to clean the can top. Other U.S. patents, such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,582,367; 4,912,801 and 5,014,869 disclose other rather different types of cleaning devices.
There are problems associated with each of these previously disclosed devices. For example, most of the devices are not disposable and, therefore, they cannot be conveniently and inexpensively dispensed to the consumers of the contents of the can at the point of purchase. Although Muster discloses a system that can be incorporated into the can for sale to the consumer, it lacks the capability to allow easy, thorough cleaning of the lip and groove or gutter of a beverage can. Furthermore, although the Muster device comprises a pre-moistened pad, neither it nor any other previously disclosed device provides a means for sanitizing the can top as a part of the wiping or cleaning process. It would be desirable, therefore, to provide an improved device that eliminates or at least substantially reduces these and other problems with previous devices. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide such an improved device.